Problems arise due to our misunderstanding . . . (Click image for video)

Seeds of kindness, seeds of unkindness.

Which ones will I nurture today? 

Deep within our store consciousness lie all the seeds of all our thoughts, speech, and actions incurred since time without beginning.

That’s a lot of seed!

There are seeds of kindness and seeds of treachery. Seeds of suffering and seeds of happiness. Some have grown large and strong, while others remain small and weak. While we cannot alter the fact that we have planted these seeds and carried them with us through innumerable lifetimes, we can choose which seeds to nurture and which to leave untouched.

If we choose to water the seeds of delusion and ignorance, our suffering will increase.

We’ve done and experienced this in too many lifetimes. As a result, we’re still here in samsara. Every moment gives us a chance to make conscious, purposeful choices. So be done with the seeds of callousness and disloyalty. Instead, tend and care for those wonderful seeds of awakening and wisdom, and thus be closer to happiness and liberation.

Others choose how they act towards me . . . (Click image for video)

Replace  not just painful thoughts 

but also enjoyable thoughts with “Amituofo.” 

Most of us are aware of the dangers of negative thoughts like those arising from anger, fear, or sadness. Negative thoughts are unsettling and if left unchecked can become debilitating. So it’s easy to see why we need to replace them with “Amituofo.”

But why replace thoughts of satisfaction, say after accomplishing a difficult task?

Why replace our amused laughter at something a co-worker said, or replace pleasure when listening to a favorite piece of music?

The risk of experiencing such seemingly harmless emotions is that innocent thoughts of appreciation often morph into attachments. Our satisfaction grows into pride as we now make it a quest to garner praise instead of doing a task well. Pleasure from a well-played piece of music could become an attachment, and when we desire more we could forget our cultivation.

So we need to remember that we can appreciate the good things that come to us, but then return to “Amituofo.”